Kane Woods Nature Area

TRAILS | LAND | HISTORY | VOLUNTEER

Map & Directions In July 2008, the Scott Conservancy dedicated our system of trails in the Kane Woods Nature Area. The trails are marked with color-coded signage and can be accessed from four trailheads. Trail maps are available at the Whiskey Point Trailhead. Directions to the Kane Woods Nature Area and a black & white printable line drawing of the Trail System thru the Kane Woods Nature Area will soon be available for download on this website.

Whiskey Point Trailhead The trail system can be accessed from the Whiskey Point Trailhead on Scrubgrass Road and Main Street. A small gravel parking area has been created in front of the gate to provide off road parking for those using the property at this trailhead. We are very grateful to Frank J. Zottola Construction Company for donating the work done to the parking area.

Beyond the gate, a large parking lot has been created to accommodate parking during events, and a shelter has been built.

The recently erected new sign at the entrance of our Whiskey Point Trailhead at Kane Woods has attracted many new visitors to our nature area. It is nice to see our trails being used by so many new people. If you haven't yet stopped at the trailhead, we invite you to take a few minutes and do so.

The newly erected informational sign was designed by Donna Kearns. The sign along with the bulletin board next to it were then framed and installed by her husband Ed. All of the signs were made by Bert Lindstom. This includes the trail signs that you will see as you walk through the nature area.

JCC Trailhead The trail system can also be accessed from the JCC Trailhead. For security reasons, the Jewish Community Center requests that anyone entering the woods at their trailhead stop in at the center during their hours of operation and let them know their cars are parked on the lot on the property.

Scrubgrass Run Trailhead Improvements are planned to the Scrubgrass Run Trailhead on Scrubgrass Road, including a parking lot, split rail fence, and gate.

Providence Point Trailhead An additional trailhead is located at Providence Point. The construction easement has invasive species removed and replanted with native species to create a meadow habitat. Three areas where the vegetation was removed to provide utilities to Providence Point and to repair broken sanitary sewers and storm drains were replanted with vegetation that is native to Pennsylvania. Since the Kane property lacks areas where meadows exist, this will be a benefit to the animals that make Kane Woods their home. The new meadows will be especially good for birds.

The seeds chosen for planting were selected by our own environmental expert, Don McGuirk. Don is overseeing the plans for planting and trail development being done on the Kane property. The purchase of the seeds and the seeding was done by the Baptist Homes. With all the rain this spring the newly planted areas are getting a great start. We are looking forward to seeing some beautiful grasses and wildflowers in the next few years.

Scott Park Access The Kane Woods is near Scott Park, and the Conservancy is studying ways with the township to link the park and nature preserve so residents can easily enjoy both in a single outing.

Kane Woods Trails named for leading Whiskey Rebellion figures

Trail Marker Hundreds of books, articles, and essays have been written about the Whiskey Rebellion and many of its key events took place right here in Scott Township. The Scott Conservancy has been working to honor that legacy by naming the trails in the Scott nature preserve after leading figures and events in the Whiskey Rebellion. One is named after Tom the Tinker, one of the leaders of the Rebellion, and another is named for General Neville.

Don McGuirk, who has researched the role Bower Hill and the Kane Woods played in early American history, said the Kane trail network was developed with an emphasis on highlighting and preserving land where a series of critical events took place in 1794 that helped shape the future direction of our country.

A Liberty Pole, a symbol around which the rebels gathered, will also be erected, and the Conservancy will place story boards at key sites along the trails explaining the Rebellion. Brochures will also be available for visitors who want to learn more about the Rebellion.

Age of Ancient Red Oak Determined

One part of the Kane Woods Nature Area that has captured the interest of Conservancy Vice-President Don McGuirk is the age of an enormous red oak that he calls the "Mother Tree." Recently, Don and officials from the state forestry department took a boring from the tree to determine its age by reading the tree rings, and the preliminary findings are that the tree is between 200 to 250 years old. To put that into perspective, the tree sprouted around 1760. The English, along with their colonial allies, were still fighting the French and Indian War. James Watt was working on the prototype for the steam engine, and most people traveled by foot or on horseback. The United States didn't even exist.

Red Oak in winter starkly illustrates size compared to surrounding forest

Don McGuirk & state forester measure huge trunk

All of the Scott residents and our Conservancy members who donated money and worked on the project to preserve the Kane Woods can share a sense of pride that they helped to preserve a part of nature in the Red Oak that is even older than our own country.

Scouts Plant New Trees & Shrubs

As part of the “Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge, one of 12 required Merit Badges for Eagle Scout, Boy Scout Troop 365 volunteered to assist the Scott Conservancy in landscaping a field on Scrubgrass Road, near the Whiskey Point Trailhead.

Directed by Don McGuirk, our Conservancy representative, and Troop Leader Dr. Jeff Wentz, members of the troop from Covenant Community Presbyterian Church worked hard digging holes to be used for planting shrubs. They also constructed a temporary protective fence along the property line to protect the new plantings.

Cub Scout Pack 861 from Holy Child Parish in Bridgeville planted 60 shrubs and 6 trees in the holes dug by Troop 365.

Cub Scout Pack 849, along with members of Boy Scout Troop 834, both from Glendale, have also participated in activities that improve our community and our environment.

On the morning of October 22nd, 2005, six boys working on Eagle Scout badges from Boy Scout Troop 365 and three boys who offered to assist them arrived at the field owned by the Scott Conservancy along Scrubgrass Road. They came ready to dig with shovels and hammers in hand.

A week later, Cub Scout Pack 861 from Holy Child Parish in Bridgeville arrived in the afternoon to complete the work. With help from their parents, they planted 60 shrubs and 6 trees using holes dug by the Boy Scouts in the previous week.

The boys worked hard and did a great job!

The conservancy thanks both scout troops for their help and hope we will be able to work with them in the future.

The Scott Conservancy is also the proud sponsor of Glendale's Cub Scout Pack 849. The scouts, chartered in Scott Township, are involved in worthwhile community projects.

Some of their projects have included trail and stream clean-ups, the building of steps on a popular trail, community clean-ups, and various service projects. Keep up the good work!

TRAILS | LAND | HISTORY | VOLUNTEER

Kane Woods
Land acquisition is an important goal of the Scott Conservancy. In 2003, we purchased the wooded hillside forming an emerald necklace that encircles the new Providence Point development, site of the old Kane Hospital. The 44 acre acquisition was made possible through a Growing Greener Grant with matching funds from The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Laurel Foundation and private donations from citizens in Scott Township.
	Scott Township is highlighted in orange in the map to the left. Scott Park and the Kane Woods Nature Area are shown in green, representing the largest remaining parcel of greenspace in Scott Township. The Conservancy is working on a number of projects to improve public access and enjoyment of the Kane Woods. Since acquisition of the property, the conservancy has restored native vegetation, built a shelter and footbridge, blazed trails and created trailheads with parking for public access.
*Outdoor recreation the whole family can enjoy:* The Kane Woods Nature Area is ideal for hiking and bird watching. Catch a glimpse of the deer, squirrel, fox and turkey which abound in the forest. Sit on a fallen log and enjoy the respite from your busy, hectic modern life.
Parcels that the conservancy has acquired adjacent to the 44 acre site have contributed access and additional acreage to the Kane Woods Nature Area. Carleton Manor Property In March of 2008, the conservancy added 5.5 acres of land to the Kane Woods, with a walking trail that can be accessed from Vanderbilt Drive in Mt. Lebanon. The parcel connects to the Kane Woods property in the valley below and is an excellent addition to our nature area. This property extends our greenway and is already being used as part of one of our walking trails. The property was purchased with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and from The Pittsburgh Foundation. Appraised at $83,400, the parcel was purchased from Premier Homes for $20,500. The property is a parcel of pristine land left over from the Carleton Manor development of homes off of Bower Hill Road which is now accessible to the public. Kumpf Property Completed on August 2, 2001, the donation by Marilyn and Bill Kumpf of two parcels of land at the cul-de-sac at the end of Jaycee Drive made us a land trust. The parcels consist of four acres adjacent to Kane Woods Bill Kumpf had a special rock that he liked to sit on to enjoy the Woods. He has made it possible for others to enjoy the land. Nixon Property Thanks to the generosity of the Nixon family of Carnegie and the Oliver family of Sewickley, the Scott Conservancy received a donation in 2006 of approximately 3 acres of property along Vanadium Rd. The land is located across the road from Vanadium Woods and extends up the hill to Hughes Street. It has been in the Nixon family since 1936 and has remained virtually untouched since that time. A very large stand of oak trees is located on the property, and it is home to many animals including several species of birds. The conservancy is thrilled to have received this wonderful gift. It is the intention of the conservancy to leave this property in its natural state for the benefit of the residents of the community.

*The Scott Conservancy now has a total of 56 acres of green space under protection and open to our residents for the enjoyment of nature.*

TRAILS | LAND | HISTORY | VOLUNTEER

The Kane Woods featured historically during the Whiskey Rebellion

One of the unique features of the Kane Woods is its historical significance. Most of the land was once owned by General John Neville, who was a Revolutionary War veteran. General Neville served at General Washington's side during the Revolutionary War and they were close personal friends, both having grown up in Fairfax County, Virginia. He served at Valley Forge, and fought alongside his close personal friend General George Washington at the Battle of Yorktown. Before the war, he served as the commander at Fort Pitt, and his son, Presley Neville, was aide-de-camp to the Marquis de Lafayette, the French political and military leader, who supported the cause of American independence.

After the war, General Neville's role in our nation's history continued. Saddled with enormous debts from the Revolutionary War, our new nation under the leadership of President George Washington instituted an excise tax on whiskey to raise money to pay off the war loans.

President Washington appointed his trusted friend General Neville, Inspector of the Revenue for Western Pennsylvania, and charged him with collecting the tax. Local farmers, however, violently opposed the new tax. Whiskey distilled by the farmers and sold throughout the country and even as far away as New Orleans was their main source of income. With barely enough cash to make ends meet, the farmers believed the tax would ruin them. They organized protests against the tax, some of which turned violent.

The hostilities culminated in fighting that broke out on July 16 and 17, 1794, between local farmers, federal troops, and supporters of General Neville at his estate on Bower Hill. His Bower Hill Mansion and other buildings on the estate were burned to the ground by local farmers during the fighting. They became known as the Whiskey Boys.

An angry President Washington responded by dispatching 13,000 troops, a force larger than any he commanded during the Revolutionary War, to put down what became known as the Whiskey Rebellion

As the federal forces marched on Western Pennsylvania, the rebellion collapsed, yet the legacy of the rebellion left its mark on American history. A keen student of American History, President Harry S. Truman, called it one of the ten most important events in American History, and President Abraham Lincoln citied Washington's action as a precedent in using force to oppose the secession of the Southern states in 1860.

The Whiskey Rebellion is important in U.S. history because it provided the first real test of the new American Constitution..

In 1794 an angry mob of Whiskey Boys marched through the Scott Conservancy's Kane Woods to "Bower Hill," the plantation home of the Federal Inspector of the Excise, General John Neville, which was located at the top of Kane Boulevard near the old Kane Hospital, now Providence Point.

The insurgents burned Neville's home. Neville, a Federalist, narrowly escaped the grasp of the crowd.

Our Kane Woods Trails, through which the Whiskey Boys once marched, are named in honor of the rebellion.

An historic marker now marks the location of Neville's home on Kane Blvd.

Reenactors from Anthony Wayne's Legion that helped defend Bower Hill, give visitors to the Kane Woods, the Presley Neville House and Old Saint Luke's Church a glimpse into the life of a soldier in colonial times.

Yearly re-enactments of the battle have been taking place each summer in the Kane Woods since the trails grand opening in 2008.

A walking tour thru the Kane Woods is accompanied by activities at Old St. Luke's Church, Presley Neville House and the Woodville Plantation on Bower Hill where General Neville's mansion was burned to the ground by the Whiskey rebels.

Conservancy Erects Marker on Historic Bower Hill Site

The Kane Woods, Old St. Luke's Church, the Neville House and the Neville mansion on Bower Hill all have historical significance dating back to Revolutionary times.

In 1996, the Conservancy, with the support of the Scott Township Commissioners, received approval from the Pennsylvania State Historical and Museum Commission to erect a state historical Marker on Bower Hill, the site of General Neville's mansion, which was burned to the ground during the Whiskey Rebellion.

Another state historical maker was erected two years later at Old St. Luke's Church, also in Scott Township, to honor the role it played in American History. Old St. Luke's is the oldest church established west of the Allegheny Mountains. The church is still preserved today as a house of worship. Reverend Richard Davies led the effort to secure approval for the St. Luke's Historical Marker.

General Neville worshipped at Old St. Luke's Church and the Church's cemetery is the resting place of many of our region's earliest settlers including a number of Revolutionary War veterans.

TRAILS | LAND | HISTORY | VOLUNTEER

Help Keep The Kane Woods Nature Area Trails Clean

The Scott Conservancy has taken down structures, developed hiking trails and added parcels to our 44 acre Kane Woods property, which now total 56 acres, the largest area of greenspace left in Scott Township.

The land is on the hillside perimeter of the old Kane Hospital. It forms a circle around the hill where Providence Point now sits. The large trees, undisturbed nature, abundant wildlife and steep wooded slope down to a flat floodplain along Scrubgrass Run make the Kane Woods Nature Area ideal for trails.

An increasing number of people (and their dogs) enjoy walking through our woods every day. Many do not realize that the property is owned by a small non-profit organization that relies on volunteer efforts and donations from individuals and foundations. The Scott Conservancy needs volunteers to maintain trails and to help us keep the property free of litter and debris. As you enjoy our woods, please do your part to keep it clean. Thank you.

NEWS & EVENTS | KANE WOODS NATURE AREA | PROJECTS | MEMBERSHIP

June 29, 2010

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TRAILS | LAND | HISTORY | VOLUNTEER

Kane Woods

Carleton Manor Property

Kumpf Property

Nixon Property